who here is left-handed or right-handed or ambidextrous?

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Ambi, here----though I was born left-handed (can I get a HALF-yay, AB? LOL), but when I was 5, and 5 minutes (not, literally) from starting the 1st grade (they didn't have kindergarten, when I started school), my mother made me be right-handed.

I still do most things, left-handed----except for writing (I still practice writing left-handed, though, in case something happens, that I HAVE TO write left-handed) and throwing a ball. When I was tested for Aspie, the "handedness test" said I was ambidextrous----more LEFT, than right (but, only marginally)..... I do alot of things with what would be called my non-dominant hand (left)----like, I can snap my fingers, using either hand (alot of people can't do that), twist off / on bottle caps, with either hand, shoot a gun, with either hand (I ribboned in the military, shooting), bowl, with either hand, paint with either hand, stir with either hand, swab the deck, with either hand----all KINDS of stuff! I wanted to learn to play guitar, but because I played left-handed, nobody could / wanted to teach me.....

I, too, have always found "handedness", interesting----like, the left side of the brain, controls the RIGHT side of the body (and, vice-versa)? Creative thinking happens in the right side----but, I can paint with my left? It's all very strange (as in, interesting), to me.....

Oh----someone mentioned writing on a blackboard..... I, TOO, can write on a blackboard, with either hand----and, I TOTALLY think AB was CORRECT, in figuring-out, WHY!!

Also, I can't sew, left-handed, though.....

^^^
half-yay
were you an MP/SP in the military? just curious. when I was in they never had us use side-arms. did your mother have to also switch from left to right because HER mother made her?

No, I just got the cast off and that was pretty much it. I might've had to see a doctor or get follow-up x-rays at some point...I don't really remember.

I think maybe I made it sound more dramatic than it actually was....my left arm was just weak for a time. Eventually I could use it normally again.



When I was in cadets we did shooting with air rifles and we had to do this test to determine our dominant eye, because that was supposed to determine our handedness for shooting. They told us to look at a sign on the wall, hold up your finger in front of your face so it's over the sign and get it centered, and then close one eye at a time -- if your finger appeared to move to one side, then the eye you were seeing out of was not your dominant eye; if your finger appeared to stay still, then that was your dominant eye.

The test didn't work for me because I could (and did, repeatedly, as I tried to focus to visually center my finger over the sign) switch back and forth to use either eye .... at the time I thought maybe I didn't understand the test and was doing it wrong but I wasn't able to explain this at all so instead I just picked one at random to say was my dominant eye.

I'm guessing you never had to do any test like that if they only had right-handed rifles but if you do it now can you switch back and forth or do you have a dominant eye?

never got to do that test but now that you mention it, I tried it and my "weak" eye is my dominant eye! IOW astigmatic right eye seems to hog the center. I guess that means I'm basically a leftie who had to adapt.

prego


you were fortunate to have a successful military career. I bolo'ed out after 4 [too long] years. they didn't want me and I did not want them one iota.


I recall my late father telling me he knew relations back in the day that were left-handed.

I'm left-handed and both my parents are lefties. I'm sure glad I wasn't born in the bad old days when people commonly thought lefties were evil or stupid and forced them to use their right hand.

Most people don't notice I'm left-handed unless they see me write or draw for the first the time. Then they act as if it's a miracle I can actually do those things. Yeah ink and pencil that smear really don't help. I managed to find a couple of pens that are good for lefties that didn't cost a fortune, and they're pretty good.

the only way I can avoid the smudge when I write with my left hand, is to put a slip of paper underneath the left hand while it is writing. that reminds me, I need to make another poll asking if people write with the top off the pen pointed outwards or inwards. there are very real neurological differences with such.

I have attempted to train myself to be able to use both hands.

It worked well, I think. Although my left-handed penmanship is still weak, it's quite legible.

I'm in between. About half my skills are on the left hand and the other half on the right. I don't cross train skills to both hands, I don't see the need for it, but I probably could be full on ambidextrous if I worked at it. When I try something new I test it out on both hands, see what's most comfortable and go from there.

I have found that leftie people who write with the top of their pen or pencil pointed towards their left shoulder, smudge a lot less.

That's such an un-ergonomic position though. I'll let the paper smudge and save myself the carpal tunnel syndrome.

gosh I had no idea it would cause carpal tunnel. I'm glad I don't have to physically write too often.

I wonder if many years ago it used to be called "right and wrong handed"?

you are on the right etymological track, in latin they say lefties are "sinister."

I selected right handed, but I broke some bone in my right elbow when I was five and had to use my left hand for awhile. As a result, I am artificially slightly ambidextrous. My autistic husband and autistic little brother are both left handed and my neurotypical son is left handed as well. I'm used to placing utensils and cups on a different side of the plate for them than for myself.

When I was in kindergarten, they used to pair us up during coloring book time. I would purposefully try to team up with this little boy who was left handed so that I could color the right page and he could color the left and our hands wouldn't bump.